2 Kings 20:1-7 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, “Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, `This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’ ” Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered.

Hezekiah was one of the good kings of Israel. He had all the usual problems of a king: roads to build, budgets to balance, people to satisfy, taxes to collect, wars to fight. He made it a habit to consult God in all of these things through prayer. So it was only natural that when faced with a personal problem, he prayed. Hezekiah was critically ill. In fact, Isaiah comes to him and tells him he is terminal. He gives this advice to the king: put your house in order – you are going to die!

The good king had the faith and commitment to take it to the Lord in Prayer. It was as natural to him as breathing. He talks to God and asks Him to change what He had decreed. This came from his prior relationship with God in which He talked to Him regularly. It is not so hard to ask a favor from someone you know well and talk to on a regular basis. So Hezekiah asked the Lord to reconsider and spare his life.  We read that Isaiah was not even out of the palace when the Lord told him to go back. He had heard the prayers of the king, seen his tears, and would heal him in three days. More than that, He promised to extend his life by 15 years. Because Hezekiah had prayed, God gave him what he asked and even more.

Did you catch the part at the end about putting the poultice of figs on the boil and Hezekiah being healed? I would imagine there were some observers who said or thought: “Wow! Those figs really helped.” They missed the whole point that God did the healing as an answer to prayer, just like so many today after being critically ill and then recovering say “Wow! Those doctors really did the trick!” They miss the point that healing is a gift from God, no matter how it may be delivered.

Why did God answer the prayer of Hezekiah? Not because of flowery language, not because he repeated his prayer, not because he wailed loudly or shouted. He was heard because he prayed to the one who could hear. He prayed to the true God. He was surrounded by idolatry, religious people who directed their worship to the wrong directions. Hezekiah prayed to the true God, the Living God, the one who made the heavens and the earth and is still in control and will be forever. His prayer came from the heart. He didn’t try to hide who he was or what he had done. He trusted God to receive him as he was. He lived the life of a follower of God, what we would call a “Christian life.” Repeatedly Scripture tells us “He did what was right in the sight of God.” Hezekiah had an ongoing prayer relationship with God. In response to God’s gift of healing, Hezekiah said, In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back. (Isaiah 38:17) He knew his salvation, physical and spiritual, came from God.

You need to have that same kind of confidence. Yes, you have sinned, and deserve only punishment. But you need to know and believe that God has put your sins behind His back, out of sight and out of reach, for Jesus’ sake. You have a relationship with God, too, one that He established by claiming you as His own through Baptism. You have put your confidence in Jesus as your Savior, knowing that He has done what was necessary for you to be forgiven. His perfect life was lived for you. His horrible death was endured for you. His resurrection gives you life. Remembering all that will make it easier for you to talk to God in prayer.